Argentine folk singer Victor Heredia’s ‘Reason to live’

The Argentine poet and singer Victor Heredia was born in the Montserrat neighbourhood of Buenos Aires in 1947. His paternal ancestors were French and his grandmother belonged to the now extinct Capayán indigenous people of the Calchaqui Valley in the northwestern Catamarca province of Argentina .

Heredia’s singing vocation began in 1967, at age 19. In 1969, his first album “El Viejo Matías” (The old man Matías) sold half a million copies. In 1976, during the military dictatorship Heredia’s work was banned in Argentina. He moved to sing and record his songs in Spain. His sister, Maria Cristina and her husband were kidnapped by the armed forces; they have been among the “disappeared” ever since. In 1986, at the end of the military regime, Heredia returned to Argentina and worked closely with organizations denouncing the crimes of the military junta, such as the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, and several First Nations organizations.

For many years, Heredia has maintained a firm commitment with the social and human rights problems of Argentina and Latin America. He has recorded with such artists as Joan Baez, Joan Manuel Serrat, Mercedes Sosa and Silvio Rodriguez, among others.

Among his most celebrated works are “Todavía Cantamos” (Still We Sing), “Sobreviviendo” (Surviving), “El viejo Matías” (The old man Matías), “Dulce Daniela” (Sweet Daniela), and his greatest hit, and best-known song, “Razón de vivir” (Reason to live). Heredia was recently in Chile, giving several concerts in the cities of Santiago, Valparaíso and Temuco, on the occasion of the launching of his 31st album “Fenix”.

The video below shows a delightful graphic animation of “Razón de Vivir” interpreted by Victor Heredia (in Spanish with English subtitles).